


Crossed Wires

by Anotherunreadffaccount



Series: The ID:10T series [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Annoyed to Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-10-20 20:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17629517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anotherunreadffaccount/pseuds/Anotherunreadffaccount
Summary: Her great-grandma was friends with Peggy Carter, her parents are ex-agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Rosabella Anderson seems destined for a heroic life. She didn't ask for powers or for the Avengers to turn on each other, but when her heroes fall, she rises above them. Two months after Germany, Ro's main responsibility remains watching over Peter Parker and he does not make it easy.





	1. Chapter 1

"You guys are spies? What is this Spy Kids?"

Ro thought she was toast when her parents called her to the kitchen and told her they needed to talk. She expected a grounding and was racking her brains to figure out what she'd done lately that could warrant one. She wasn't expecting this. This had to be a joke.

"Were spies, and with less thumb-people" Her dad tried to joke.

"Leo, this is not the time." Her mother scolded.

This was a major lie, nothing to do with Santa or the tooth fairy. Her mom was a saleswoman, her dad was the IT guy, or so she'd believed. When Captain America had exposed S.H.I.E.L.D. to the public she'd watched in awe, far from imagining her parents could have ever worked for such an organization. At fourteen, Ro's parents were just that, her parents. They couldn't have lived a double life right under her nose, or maybe they could've.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was a secret governmental organization, but we weren't spies." Her mom reasoned.

"What did you do?" She watched carefully their facial expressions, one of them was bound to crack. Was this a cruel and unusual punishment? Did they start a family prank channel on youtube?

"Your mom was a field agent and I worked on the tech so it wasn't that far off really." Leo Anderson said attempting not to look too happy to share this information with his daughter when she still looked confused and angsty about the whole secret-being-kept-from-her-for-fourteen-years part.

"So mom's Bond and you're Q."

"Can we drop the references?" Her mom signed.

"I'm sorry, would you prefer I break down over the fact that my entire life was a lie and I'm only hearing about this because Captain America put you out of a job."

"Technically, your life wasn't a lie, ours were."

"Leo!" Danielle exclaimed throwing her hands up. She took a seat across her daughter at the kitchen table, laid her hands flat in front of her. The move which could have once appeared calming now seemed calculated. Ro met her mom's gaze head-on. Negotiating had always been a talent she'd admired in her mom, now it made the room feel colder like she was sitting under a light in an interrogation room. "We are telling you now, but we were always planning on telling you when you turned eighteen. Captain America had nothing to do with our decision to tell you the truth and he certainly didn't put us out of a job. What happened in Washington was bigger than him."

"Why tell me when I got older?" Ro crossed her arms. "Did you expect me to follow in your footsteps? The martial arts classes, the hacking lessons, was my entire life a boot camp for the real deal?"

"You will always have the choice over what you want to do with your life." Her dad said resting his hands on his wife's shoulders. "We would never force that sort of life on you."

"I know this is a lot and we'd never expect you to be okay with all of it right away, but remember we love you." Her mom's eyes drifted towards the sky like they always did before she spoke of the past. "Fighting for justice like this, it runs in the family, it's your legacy."

"No." Ro protested. "People aren't born crime fighters, just like they aren't born criminals."

"Maybe you'll think differently when you learn that Nana was one of the first S.H.I.E.L.D. agents recruited by co-founder, Peggy Carter, herself."

"Wait, Nana was what?"

 

* * *

 

A year later it seemed Ro wasn't far from following in her family's footsteps after all. Sure S.H.I.EL.D. was gone, but standing in front of the Avengers' tower, she was pretty confident this was a move worthy of her great-grandmother. She was technically going to sneak in the tower and potentially steal an A.I., but it was all for the greater good, honestly.

In the year following her parents' confession, Ro had slowly come to terms with her parents' secret. They hadn't been criminals. In fact, being agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't that different from being a CIA agent or a member of the NYPD's computer crimes squad which were now respectively her mom and dad's jobs. Although, knowing still had its hardships, the daughter spent a lot of time worrying about her mom's whereabouts when she was away at work. Any attempts from her parents at reassuring her were met with doubts. Was Rosabella having trust issues? Well, she was just about to steal from Iron Man in order to keep a closer eye on her mom.

Sneaking into Stark Tower wasn't all that hard. Sure the upper levels dedicated to the Avengers were secured, but the lobby, not so much. Tourists would come in and out all day long and fans would stand in cosplay out front in hopes of catching a glimpse of the heroes.

Ro could blend in without a problem any day. Thanks to her handy recon mission a few weeks prior (it was totally a recon mission and not her cosplaying with Liz and a few others), she knew how to get around in order to get in and out quickly without drawing attention to herself.

Using her cloned I.D. card she found her way to the third floor without a stitch. Thank god for interns who liked to brag on social media. A quick search and she'd found Chad Jackson an intern who just loved to share every single detail of his internship #madeit #suckstobeyou. Less than 20 minutes on his page and Ro had found which department he worked in therefore which floor he had access to, as well as his full name, major, last place of employment and favorite coffee shop. Less than two days later, she had "bumped" into him all Mr.Robot style and bam she had her way in. Again, security on the low levels left to be desired and that was a mistake she was more than willing to exploit. Once on the third floor she had access to the IT's workspace and hacking the upper levels was child's play.

But after making it in the Tower unnoticed her luck ran out. Seated at one of the desks, she didn't get her hands on an A.I. Thunder sounded above and as lightning traveled through the entire building. Thor had put an end to the Avengers' bickering on the top floor. His hammer bringing Vision to life, electricity, and energy from the mind stone made its way to the third floor and sent the unsuspecting teen flying out of her seat, knocking her out cold.

Jolting awake, Ro looked around her trying to find out how long she'd been unconscious. Fighting the pounding in her head, she located her phone not far from her, the screen lighting up as her eyes came across the device. Only minutes had passed. Not wanting to wait and see if someone would come around to tell her she'd been found out and not wanting to push her luck any further (she was sure she'd used the last of it surviving a lightning strike or whatever it was that had happened), she ran for the exit.

Passing the elevator on her way to the stairs, the doors opened up in front of her. Her heart leaping in her throat, she found it empty. No one had called it, yet there it was. She got in and pressed her shaking finger on the ground floor button. The elevator began its descent. She didn't hide her face from the cameras anymore not that it mattered as every single one on her path inexplicably turned off in her presence.

Once outside, she didn't glance back. She had failed to leave with what she had sought to steal. She would later come to find that she had not left empty-handed at all. In fact, she had gotten a whole lot more than she'd bargained for.

* * *

 

Hearing knocking at the door of her apartment Ro jumped to her feet itching for a break from the endless hours she'd spent thinking about the accords and the bombing in Vienna. Opening the door she found her worries had materialized on her doorstep in the form of Tony Stark.

"Who is it?" Her dad shouted his voice coming closer.

"Pizza delivery guy, um... wrong door, I'll show him the way." She threw over her shoulder stepping out before her dad could catch a glimpse of who was truly standing at their door.

"Not inviting me in?" Stark greeted her. "Probably smart. Fewer questions, no need for a cover story."

Ro shushed him, looking around for any neighbor who might catch her talking with the Avenger. "Roof. We can talk on the roof and keep your voice down, I don't need people seeing me with you."

Once outside, the wind and the implications of Stark's visit hit her in the face. She did not turn to face him right away. Surely, this visit was about the Accords, he simply could not afford to focus on anything else, but how did she fit in this. He couldn't be there to make her sign the accords, right?

"I don't think introductions are necessary, do you?" He said breaking the silence.

Ro spun around. She didn't have time for this. He didn't have time for this. If he wasn't going to cut to the chase then she would or as much as she could without incriminating herself. After all, she didn't know how much he knew.

"How do you know? What do you know?"

"You have powers, hacking skills too fast to be human, too good to be true."

Ro shrugged. "I'm good, nothing more to it."

"Except that you weren't so good until you sneaked into my tower two years ago, on the same night we created Vision with that alien jewel that's now on his forehead. That's quite the coincidence, no?"

Now, she could have denied it. She'd kept the secret to herself for two years and could have tried to keep to it to herself longer, but anger rose in her. She'd spent those two years caring the burden of her powers alone and he had let her?

"You knew this whole time and you didn't say anything." Her tone was rising by the second. The worry and stress of the last hours gave into her anger.

"You weren't doing anything illegal or too illegal anyway, and you didn't show any sign of wanting to reach out to us or doing more than staying in your room hiding behind your screens." He dismissed waving his hand as if brushing her aside.

"But now things have changed. So you just barge in here because you need something."

"I think you know what's changed." He answered more seriously this time. From his phone, he projected footage from one of the many news channels that covered the attack on the UN council, the very same she'd been watching before he knocked on her door. "We need to apprehend the suspect responsible for this attack and Cap's making it... difficult."

"You're going after your own team and you want me to help you? Fat chances."

Tony got rid of the images and fiddled with his watch. He looked exhausted, he had met resistance from everybody around him the last few days and to have this argument with a feisty teenager as more than he had prepared for on his way to Queens.

"They've left me no choice. You can go back to hiding in your den afterward, no long-term commitment needed." He compromised.

"You think I'm going to buy that? There will be no going back. Even if I don't go with you, the Sokovia accords will catch up to me. The accords are setting a precedent. It's not just about the Avengers. They open the door to regulation of all powered-people, that includes me." She wanted so badly for the conversation to return to the accords, this infighting was pointless. Didn't he understand that she was scared?

"I'm not here to talk about the accords. I'm not here to make you sign or-"

"It's all related. You are about to fight each other and use your fists when what this situation needs is diplomacy. You're not accomplishing anything by going head to head. In fact, you are all letting down the very people you swore you'd protect."

"I don't need a lecture from a sixteen-year-old." Tony rubbed his hand over his face letting out sharp exhale when it came in contact with his freshly bruised eye.

"I turn seventeen in a month," Ro said her voice turning quieter. "If you didn't want a teen's opinion why did you come to one in the first place? Who in their right mind recruits a minor."

"We need all the help we can get. When I leave, I'm going over to the Spiderling's place."

"Are you threatening to go recruit a fifteen-year-old if I don't come with you?" Her voice was sharp, her jaw set, she was no longer burning with anger. She was so cold, Tony had to admit she looked much older than she was.

"No, I'm not. I'm giving you a heads-up about what's going to happen next regardless of your decision."

Maybe he believed what he was saying or maybe he was hoping she'd come along if she was worried about the younger hero, but his intention didn't matter. She could never go along with someone willing to let her and Peter fight against trained professionals. She was wise enough to know that he didn't have all the answers that adults should try to keep her safe even if she thought she was ready.

"We're done here." She said walking to the edge of the roof to look at the skyline in silence. When she turned around again, she was alone. The only proof that Tony Stark had ever been there at all was her dad's inquiry about what had taken so long with the pizza guy when Ro returned to her apartment.

* * *

 

After spending the whole weekend worrying someone would show up at her doorsteps again to make her sign the accords or bring her in because she'd refused to help Tony, things finally settled down. She didn't hear a word from Tony or anyone else and she was forced to accept that in this case, no news was good news. It seemed the man-in-the-tin-can hadn't told anyone about her. Peter Parker flew back from Germany slightly injured but in one piece, and Ro allowed herself a breath of relief.

It would only take a couple more days for the silence to start driving Ro crazy. She resorted to hacking into Parker's computer in hopes of piecing back together what had happened in Germany. She was too wary of hacking Tony directly from fear that he had always known whenever she did so and had never seen the necessity of stopping her. If that was the case, he might feel differently about letting her roam freely through his files now that she had refused to help him.

Luckily for the young hacker, it seemed Spider-Man had an interest in cinematography and had taken to documenting his time abroad. A film by Peter Parker appeared on her screen. Seriously? He took the time to edit this and put his name on it. He couldn't even show it to anyone. She was watching, but he didn't know that. That kid was so naïve and immature when it came to the world of heroism. He was sure to be the death of her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two months later**

Arriving at school, Rosabella picked at the cat hairs stuck to her shirt. Through the shoves and chatter of her fellow students rushing to see their friends before the first bell, she searched for Liz and the others.

Ro didn't have many friends. Liz Toomes was her best friend which meant she hung out with a lot of people, but she could never quite bring herself to call them her friends. They were Liz's and they just so happened to be nice enough to include her in everything they did. She couldn't read minds, not in the way she could read machines, but it was clear there was a barrier between them. Ever since she'd gotten her powers she'd become more secretive and closed off. Other teens picked up on her hiding a part of herself. No one suspected her to have powers, but the suspicion that there was more to her than she let on was enough for her to push everyone away.

Everyone but Liz. She'd befriended Liz in her freshman year and while she's never told her more than others about her nightlife their friendship was strong. She'd joined the decathlon team with her, she volunteered to be a part of the homecoming committee when Liz asked for help, Ro's social life would have been close to nothing without the other girl. She was the technopath's anchor to civilian life. It sometimes felt like their friendship was the last shred of normalcy in Ro's life.

The others found her first. Betty spotted her and the group jumped at the opportunity to share the latest gossip they'd been discussing.

"Did you hear about Mr. Ramsay's new car?"

"The one he brings up every two minutes during math? I think everyone has. "

"Flash almost crashed into it this morning."

While not one to keep up with Midtown's gossip, imagining Flash Thompson freaking out about almost ruining his dad's car while simultaneously receiving detention from Mr. Ramsay instantly put her in a good mood. Gossip and the high schoolers sharing it could be cruel, but this felt like karma. Flash was a bully and when he was held accountable for his actions, Ro always made sure to wave at him from the sidelines.

"I wish I could have been there to see his face." She said.

The others returned to sharing details of the events they probably had not even witnessed first hand either. As they walked to their first class, Liz pulled her ahead, looping their arms together.

"I forgot to ask you, but can you help me hang the banner for Homecoming during free period?"

"Have I ever told you no?"

* * *

"Is it crooked?" Liz asked from the top of the ladder.

Betty gave her instructions while Rosabella continued to hold the ladder. The two girls had been acting suspicious ever since they'd started working on the hanging the homecoming banner. Betty kept mentioning wanting more serious "co-workers" on the school's news show. It was no secret she and Jason did not have the best chemistry on screen, but while everyone who'd seen them as co-anchors had felt the cringe, Betty made a point to never acknowledge it.

Liz had been making cryptic comments about trying new things even though she'd never had a problem doing that in the past. The two girls were talking to each other, but about totally different things, it was almost as if they weren't even listening to each other. Ro knew that they had something in mind, the long pause in their conversation was telling her they were tiptoeing around something.

"So... Betty, what's the new segment about again?" Liz asked, failing to sound casual.

So this was about a new segment in Midtown High's news show, but why were they hesitant to talk about it around her? Ro had never shown an interest in the show. The whole thing was made without much students, budget or equipment. The result was a painfully awkward experience, but it was theirs and at very least you could laugh at it. That was the most thought Ro had given it, not that she'd ever tell that to Betty. The girl was determined to make it work and everyone knew she basically carried the whole thing on her own.

"You know it's a segment on superheroes, things like student's theories on Spider-Man's identity, thoughts on the whereabouts of missing avengers" Betty looked up at Liz obviously avoiding eye contact with the girl holding the ladder.

That was for the best considering Ro's face was all too readable as many thoughts hit her at once. First, they couldn't possibly discuss Spider-Man at school any more than people already did, that was just not good for Parker, or her considering she'd have to bend herself over backward to keep him from slipping up. And second-

"Like an opinion piece on the Sokovia accords?" All pretenses were dropped as the girls both turned their gaze to Ro. And second, she might be trusted into the spotlight.

"No! Nononononono. Forget it, I'm not doing it."

"Told you she'd say no." The blond wrinkling her nose.

"Come on, you'd be the best for it. Betty got the idea from you. Her and Jason can't host every single segment, so we thought you could."

Ro bit her cheek. Of course, she just had to let passion take over one too many times and give them the idea to dig even more into powered people. She couldn't afford to associate herself furthermore with those people and discussions.

"I thought everyone was tired of hearing me rant about quote-unquote heroes." She said using fingers quotes.

"Hey watch the ladder." Liz yelped from the top. Ro sent an apologetic smile her way, putting her hands back on the ladder.

"Seriously, now you want me to rant in front of the whole school."

"We thought we'd ask, just this morning you were saying you can never tell me no"

"Well, I'm a pretty good liar. Anyway, I'm busy you know with homecoming." She shrugged at their current activity.

Betty scoffed and crossed her arms. Ro didn't care if they didn't buy it. It's not like she could tell them the truth. Yeah, no, I'm going to have to pass, because you see I'm afraid my secret powers will be found out if I take this on. But you go ahead haha, just don't go look at Parker too much either. Thinking of Parker for a second, she considered the advantage she could gain in taking the job. She could take control of the narrative and steer the conversation clear of any compromising conversations, but she felt already so involved in his Spider-Man activities, always spreading herself thin to keep his low profile. Given another minute she might have changed her mind, but her inability to stand down when backed into a corner got the best of her as Liz tried a last effort to sway her.

"You're not that good of a liar considering homecoming is over once it passes in a couple weeks."

"The decathlon team." Ro offered without missing a beat.

"After the nationals, it won't be that time-consuming."

"Babysitting, and looking for colleges, and homework and Netflix and just life in general."

"Jeez, I get it," Liz said with biting back a smile for Betty's sakes.

"And on that note, I'm gonna go look for other recruits like I should have been all along." The anchor said walking away in a hurry.

"She's not mad at you, she's mad I made her wait to pitch the idea so I could talk to you about it. Let me finish tying this up and I'll get down so we can get going too."

Ro nodded absentmindedly her eyes already wandering around the room. Her gaze scanned over the faces of the midtown's populous landing on Parker. Peter Parker, everything always came back to him these days. She'd sworn to herself to keep an eye on Spider-Man and now he seemed to be everywhere she looked. He was in her decathlon team, and well he had been before but now she was actually aware of it. And here he was again ogling at her best friend with his own best friend, Ned. Probably discussing her choice of outfit or her hair or whatever teenage boys obsessed over when having a crush. She glared in their direction, Parker's spidey senses were bound to alert him that he'd been caught.

Ned, on the other hand, could be excused, at least from sensing that someone was watching. He was Peter's best friend and was never far from the latter. He was slightly more talkative and equally as nerdy. Ro had witnessed him talking Peter's ears off many times during decathlon practice, gushing about everything from Star Wars to Stark's latest tech. He and she were friendly. Ned always made her feel less awkward whenever she got stuck in between Peter's stutter and Liz.

The boys' heads snapped towards the end of their table. Michelle Jones had spoken. She rarely did, but she was no doubt observant and never missed a chance at calling someone out. In this instance, she must have expressed how creepy the boy's starring was. While Ro was wondering about their conversation, the boys turned again, eyes glued to her this time.

She sent a wave their way with a smirk. She felt no embarrassment at being found staring, but the same couldn't be said for the boys. Peter's face turned red and he sunk into his seat. Ned lit up waving back, but he not so subtly muttered to his friend, no doubt stating the obvious. They'd been caught.

* * *

 

Decathlon practice was often a highlight of Ro's day. It was a place where Ro felt she belonged and with her and Liz being the only seniors on the team, she felt like a big sister to many of her fellow teammates. When Mr. Harrington gave the position of the team captain to Liz, it was an unspoken agreement that Ro would be her right hand. The girls pretty much took charge of the practices. Liz was the stern mom, the one who called for order when things got off track. Ro was the big sister who egged the others on from over Liz's shoulder, occasionally putting her foot down to back up her friend.

As that day's practice unfolded, Ro sat beside Liz who quizzed the teammates on stage. That year being the girls' last, Liz was hyperfocused on bringing the team to their full potential. That meant Ro was also stepping up her game. If her best friend had set expectations for how she wanted that year's decathlon to go, she'd be damned if she let anyone get in the way of Liz's goal. It is that loyalty to her friend that made her speak up. It was not at all because she was fed up with how much Peter had been bringing up the "Stark internship" the last couple of weeks, at least that's what she'd tell herself afterward when thinking the conversation over.

"Wait what's happening?" Cindy asked from the stage only just noticing Peter's conversation with MR. Harrington.

"Parker's bailing on us a week before nationals," Ro answered in their place. The dam broken everyone shimmed in with their questions and comments.

Cindy immediately dissolved in a string of nos in protest. Abraham who sat next to her spoke up at the same time asking why Peter couldn't come to Washington. Liz, seeing her plans for the nationals crumble before her, added: "Really right before nationals?"

Michelle won everyone's attention when she observed that he'd already quit the marching band and robotic's club.

"I'm not obsessed with him, I'm just very observant." She defended herself.

The same couldn't be said for Ro, she was slightly obsessed with the boy, at least when it concerned his alter ego, which at the moment was sort of the case. The Stark Internship excuse could only be used so many times.

"Michelle's right, you've already missed two practices this month. I know what you're doing with Tony Stark is important, but I think Iron Man would admire a guy who stands by the people counting on him. You can't just continue to drop everything, devoting all your time to one the internship. It's not healthy. Plus, flaking on us last minute on the off chance of an emergency at your internship, not cool." She scolded.

Toeing the line between giving him advice he really needed without letting on that she knew more than the others in the room wasn't her forte, but she still did a better job than him at covering things up. At least that's what she told herself as she missed the raised eyebrow MJ sent her way.

"Flash, you're in for Peter." Liz said to put an end to the debate.

Flash huffed stretching in his chair. "I don't know. I gotta check my calendar first. I got a hot date with Black Widow coming up."

From the stage, Abraham hit the bell. "That is false."

Ro laughed. Liz rolled her eyes and like that practice was back on track.

But as the team later moved towards the cafeteria to go eat lunch together, the subject circled back to Peter. Halfway through lunch and they were still droning on about it.

"We don't have anyone else as good at physics." She told Peter having now resorted to flattery as a ploy to get him to change his mind.

"You have Flash." He retorted gesturing towards the other boy as if trying to physically move the attention away from himself. Flash tried to agree only for Abraham to cut him off.

"Everyone prefers Peter." He said with his usual deadpan candor. Ned nodded vigorously all too willing to support his friend.

Ro sat across from Liz, next to Peter. She could feel him jittery beside her. While everyone had been expressing their grievance at his abandon of the team, he'd been eating quickly defending himself here. He was seconds away from bolting, she could feel it. It wasn't much of a surprise he was always running from his responsibilities to go accomplish his "duties" as Spider-Man.

Sometimes she wished she could just shake him and lecture him about how his priorities were all wrong and how being an Avenger at fifteen was not smart, but for that, she'd need to reveal a part of herself she'd never willingly shared with anyone yet. No matter how frustrating it could get to watch a kid fool around in spandex thinking himself invincible and ready for the big leagues, she wasn't ready to make herself that vulnerable. After all, she didn't hate him, but she also didn't trust him with her deepest, darkest secret.

"They're not going to do a physics challenge two years in a row and Ro can do fine if they do" Peter said bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Don't get me wrong, I could, but why should I?" She glared at him. Like she was going to pick his side. "I already have my specialty with computer science I don't care to be responsible for two whole subjects on my own. Especially when you don't have a valid excuse not to come"

"Guys, I'm sorry." Peter apologized, standing up.

The team booed him and threw food and garbage at him as he walked away. It could have been teasingly affectionate, but it wasn't. This food fight was one-sided and reeked of disappointment.

"Come on guys." Liz scolded getting up too. Ro caught her glare and immediately knew she was required to follow her friend as she chased after the boy.

Catching up, she fell in steps with them and stayed silent not knowing what Liz expected of her, she'd already lectured him during practice and pushed him to leave the table. Any word from her now might send him running. She settled for listening and walking on the other side of Peter to keep him from slipping away while Liz made her last attempt at keeping him on the team.

"Look, I get it, it's a lot to juggle everything and when I was a sophomore I struggled too, but we're really counting on you." Her friend said softly.

"I know." Peter started to ramble off excuses once again.

"Don't you want to go to DC." She sent a look at Ro from over his head.

"Yeah, see the White House, spend time with Liz... and the rest of the team of course." Ro offered weakly.

"I do." Peter said without a blush or stutter at the mention of spending time with Liz. Truly there was no changing his mind. "It's just mister Stark-"

"Fine." Liz turned on her heels giving up. Peter tried in vain to call after her.

Ro surprised herself and Parker as she stayed. Too tired for arguing, but too fed up not to stand by her best friend she explained. "It's our last year, she wants it to be perfect and that includes winning the decathlon with her as captain. Flash doesn't compare to you, with physics or otherwise."

"I-"

"Save it, we've all heard it a thousand times. Look, the world is not going to implode just because you leave town for a couple of days. And let's be real if it does Stark can have you on a plane in minutes. Just think about it. Your life shouldn't revolve around your internship."


	3. Chapter 3

When the last bell rang and the students rushed out in masses eager to taste freedom again, Ro’s day started. Hanging back, casually saying goodbye to onlookers, she never appeared to be in a hurry. She didn’t seem to be looking forward to any particular thing unlike _some_ who mysteriously evaporated into thin air leaving behind excuses of duties and internships. Yet, beneath her indifferent air was a calculated walk. Like clockwork, she would make the same turns every day.

If someone were to ask about her routine, she’d describe it as disciplined. Her work got done without fail. What work was never openly discussed, but she was a student, everyone assumed she was talking about homework.

Entering the apartment building her moves were quick with the agility of habit. Stairs, key, push of the foot and the door opened to the nearly lifeless apartment.

“Sabrina.” She called out in greetings.

Green eyes fluttered open at the sound. The black cat stretched before letting out a small rumbly meow. Getting off the couch, she turned her back to the teen's outstretched hand denying a head scratch in favor of a walk into the kitchen.

“Food. You know without me you wouldn't get any. The least you could do is say hello.” Ro said following her cat. Sabrina sat expectantly next to her bowl.

“Fine, but only because you're the cutest.” She said giving her a pat on the head. Once fed, the cat disappeared down the hallway and Ro headed to her room.

Her bedroom had once been an office and in many ways it still was. Being the smallest room in the apartment she had never grown out of her twin bed. The latter was pushed in a corner as if sleep was but an afterthought. Which it often was. Set on the neatly organized desk, her two monitors were the first thing you saw from the doorway. Her working space was sleek and professional, the only exception being a row of rubber ducks sitting behind her keyboard.

The contrast between her working space and the rest of the room was stark. Clothes had been stuffed in the drawers of her dresser without care, some spilling on the floor atop textbooks and old homework. Two forces seemed at war in the teen’s room.

“Afternoon, ALIE,” She said dropping her bag on her bed.

“Good afternoon, Rosabella. How was school?” The A.I. answered.  ALIE was an artificial intelligence Ro had made for herself a few months after becoming aware of her powers. She was based off of J.A.R.V.I.S.'s design with some slight modifications.  

“Parker quit on us. Right before nationals. I know why he wants to stay in New York, but I mean I’m going.”

“Are you worried about what could happen while you are in Washington?”

“No... It's just frustrating to see him drop everything to be at the beck and call of 'Mr. Stark’. Anyway, he made up his mind. Let's change subject, I don't want to talk your ears off.” The girl sighed falling back into her computer chair. Complaining about Parker was reserved for when she was reviewing his activity as Spider-Man.

“I do not have ears you could talk 'off’.” The A.I. joked.

Ro ignored the poor attempt at humoring her and turned her attention to the task at hand. “Time to check on mom.” She sent a quick glance at Nana Rosie’s picture, her namesake. Rosabella was a family name, a combination of her maternal great grandmother’s name, Rose, and her paternal grandmother’s, Isabella. She’d always felt closer to Rosie despite herself. It was just easier to relate to someone who’d had to go to war too young and fight alongside heroes than to an Italian grandmother she’d never met.“Let's see what they put her up to this time.” She told the picture.

“Is it wise to narrate your actions like this?” ALIE teased.

“Oh shush, you robot.” Ro laughed this time letting her worries slip away for a second.

In reality, Ro could easily communicate with the A.I. without words. To her, hacking and manipulating tech was like a conversation between her and the devices, but she preferred a more human conversation with ALIE. It made the hours spent with her screens less lonely.

Navigating the familiar backdoors she’d made for herself into the CIA's database, she brought up her mother's file.

No new report. Same mission, no development.

The teen stayed on the page looking at her mother's headshot. Had it been a physical photograph her daily manipulations would have worn down the edges. Thinking about her relationship with her mom, she didn't feel sorry for herself. Plenty of kids’ parents were part of combat forces. Her worries weren't the same though, she could look into the details of her mom's work. Every mission report, every briefing, she sometimes went so far as acquiring footage of tactical interventions.

Danielle Watts was a skilled agent and Ro trusted her expertise, but the daughter resented it too. Seeing her mom out in the field wasn't an easy sight to forget. She often preferred to let her mom live at a distance. Face to face interactions with her mom were tense now, spent tiptoeing around how much Ro knew. How much her mom didn't know. Through a screen, Rosabella didn't have to lie or rather keep track of all the lies she’d already fed her father.

Sweat dampened the back of her neck, the heat coming from the many screens and devices had made her bedroom grow hotter. Ro rolled her chair to the window not bothering to get up. Opening it, she let the air and sound of the streets blow in.

Looking out the window, the streets of her childhood laid where they always had. Once, she would have watched the people walking below, small before her eyes, small in her mind. The city hadn’t lost its life. People were still walking. The same people or different ones, but every heartbeat giving the city its rhythm now weighted on her shoulder. Every one of them was on a list of people she couldn’t let down. The little guys who so often fell through the cracks. She wished more than anything she could pick them up from the crevices of sidewalks and dark alleys.

And somewhere above them too, a certain red and blue spider was surely swinging and weaving between buildings thinking something along those lines. In a way, they were both navigating different webs with a common goal. Keeping their neighborhood safe. Ro forced herself back within the confines of her room, before anything else she had homework to do.

* * *

 

Around sundown, after completing all her homework for the day and revising for an upcoming Spanish quiz, Ro was bored. The streets were quiet leaving Spidey to do god knows what around town while she sat behind her screen waiting. She couldn't complain. It's not like she wanted trouble to come to her neighborhood for her entertainment. Still, when her neighbor came knocking at her door, she welcomed the distraction. Something she would later come to regret.

“Sierra!” Ro said opening the door to the sight of her young neighbor.

The Lopez lived in the apartment across the hall. Mrs. Lopez was a single mother. She took care of her daughter Sierra without any help from extended family. Ro had long ago become the girl’s official babysitter. The two had grown close over the years. Now ten years old, Sierra looked up to Rosabella as the older sister she didn’t have. 

“Won't you come over, Ro?” On days the teenager wasn't already babysitting Sierra during one of Mrs. Lopez's evening shift, the youngest had made it a habit to drop by unannounced.

“Sierra, dónde estás?” Interrupted a voice from within the other apartment.

Stepping into view, the mother's voice brightened. “Rosabella.” She exclaimed before apologizing profusely in Spanish for her daughter’s unplanned visit.

“No worries, Mrs. Lopez. I was sort of bored on my own.”

“Your father's not home? Why don't you come over for dinner.” Sierra asked.

“Yes, yes.” Mrs. Lopez agreed. She turned back to the apartment across the hall, rambling some Spanish Ro wasn’t entirely familiar with. Something about eating more and her father’s cooking skills? The glint in her eye made it obvious this had been her plan all along.

Hesitating a second, Ro spared a thought to the surveillance she’d been doing in her room. Peter hadn’t called Happy yet to give him his daily report. Yet, reassured by the quiet afternoon they’d had and unable to refuse an invitation from Mrs. Lopez, she let the girl take her hand and lead her away from her responsibilities. Spidey would call it a day soon anyway.

* * *

 

Helping set the table, Ro listened to Sierra go on at length about school. Halfway through dinner, the girl was now excitedly telling her about a new project of hers.

“And so Miss Valentine wants us to talk about our dream jobs. Do you know what I want to do when I’m grown up?”

Ro smiled to herself. It was no secret that since Sierra had been old enough to name all the Avengers, she’d planned to befriend them all by becoming the mayor of New York City. Part of Ro was dreading the moment her Sierra would find out about Tony's decision to move the Avengers upstate. She knew the girl would be heartbroken by the news.

“Let me think. A dentist? No, that’s not right.” Ro teased.

“That’s not funny,” Sierra whined hiding a smile behind a fake pout. “I started drawing some pictures and I want to make a big poster with all the changes I want to make to the city.”

“Being the mayor of New York is a lot of work.” Her mom cut in. “Only good students who do all their homework can have a job like that.” She said with a knowing smile.

“Mama!”

“You want to meet Los Vengadores? Start by doing your math homework.”

“I did… I will.”

“I'll help with your math if you help me with my Spanish.” Ro proposed extending her hand to make a deal.

Sierra reached over her plate to shake it. She loved getting help from the teen. Ro was her biggest idol even without the knowledge that she was anything more than an ordinary teenager.

* * *

 

The sun having set, the tv cast red and blue hues across the room. Ro moved to light the living room lamp when the report on the screen caught her attention. She turned up the sound.

“ _... the beloved bodega_ Delmar’s _on the corner of 21st street was hit by a blast following an altercation at an ATM located across the street. It appears that the local crime-fighting Spider-Man was attempting to put an end to a robbery when one of the suspect’s weapons whose origin is for the moment unknown fired...”_

“Spider-Man!” Sierra jumped up. “Mom they're talking about him again.”

Mrs. Lopez had barely taken a step in the room that Ro was halfway out the door.

“Thank you for dinner. It was great, but I hadn’t noticed how late it’s getting. My dad should be home by now.” She threw over her shoulder.

In the hallway, Ro was forced to admit that she couldn't simply rush to the scene as the fight was long over and the authorities were already on site. Damage-control surely not far behind.

Better go check on Peter instead. They hadn't said much about him on the news. Admittedly, she hadn’t stuck around very long to listen, but she didn't trust the spider enough to assume that he hadn’t gotten himself hurt.

Like a teenager coming back past curfew, she snuck into the apartment hoping for her dad to be out or not to notice. Once in her room, she could figure out her next step.

“Speaking of, my daughter is back. I should really go, Foggy. I can call you back tomorrow.” Of course, her dad was right in sight of the front door.

“Don't hang up!” Ro yelped. “Got no time to talk. Homework to do. Loads of studying for decathlon. Don't let me interrupt. G’night.”

Leo Anderson went back to his call sending her a look that he no doubts meant to convey _I am a trusting parent who gives you lee-way but we’ll talk about this later_ , but really just consisted of him raising a brow and giving Ro a nod.

Back in her room ALIE spoke up. “You have an alert from spideywatch. A robbery seems to have taken place at an ATM on 21st street. Would you like me to pull up the footage from surrounding surveillance cameras?”

“Yes.” The technopath answered while she herself looked for Spider-Man's last call to Happy Hogan. Her search took seconds and was done before she’d even sat down in her chair, her commands executed in sync with her thoughts. Navigating her own systems was always easier than having to acclimate to someone else’s programming.

Listening to the recording of Peter's account of the events at the ATM to Happy, she went through the footage from the surveillance cameras surrounding the scene of the robbery. Sure that it didn't have compromising footage of Spider-Man's dumb teenage civilian identity, she laid on her bed.

Luckily no one had gotten hurt, but it was not remotely reassuring to see weapons of unknown origin in her neighborhood. Where did they come from and why were they being used, by inexperienced bank robbers.  She wouldn't be able to check out the crime scene for some answers tonight. She couldn’t even risk sending in a drone much less show up herself, not while damage control was there. In the morning she’d leave early and take a small detour, she thought, closing her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

When Ro opened her eyes to look at her alarm clock, bright green numbers stared back at her. Had it only really been ten minutes? Rather than count down the hours of sleep she would get as each minute slowly rolled by, she decided to head to the gym. A good workout would tire her out. If she only got a nap before it was time to go to school at least it would be more productive than staring at the ceiling all night.

* * *

 Ro found the gym as it always seemed to be, with only a few members in the vicinity. She'd never stepped foot in the building in broad daylight, but she had to assume that more people came in during those hours for the gym to be open 24/7.

She headed for the back, away from the elliptical and treadmills where a few people did cardio, absorbed by their phones. She passed by a couple of men lifting weights by the mirrored wall to reach the staircase. The second floor was essentially tailored for boxing and martial arts. The floor was covered in mats, a few punching bags hung from the ceiling on the right and the open area on the left was lined with wooden dummies, kicking shields, targets, and other equipment.

Only a lone figure was present that night. A few feet away, his back to Ro, he was repeatedly hitting a punching bag. He was tall, almost lanky, but his tank top showed off how toned his arms were as he went in on the bag. His black hair stood messily in different directions shining with sweat.

Ro moved carefully around him to get in his field of vision without startling him. He was wearing headphones. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen him without them.

Jae Lee who some unoriginal and frankly racist gym patrons had taken to call Bruce Lee ( _even though Bruce Lee was Chinese and I'm Korean_ ) was a friend of Ro. An acquaintance, really. A gym buddy.

"Hey" She waved to catch his attention. He sled hid headphones from his ears down to his neck.

"Did something to piss you off?" she said nudging the bag lightly.

"Just blowing off some steam." He reached for his water bottle. "How are you?"

Ro shrugged and picked up a pair of gloves for herself. She raised them questioningly in his direction and he nodded for her to join him.

“Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"Couldn't sleep. Don't you have a job?"

"Just finished a shift." He said sending another hit towards the bag. Jae didn't talk much about his job. From what Ro had gathered, he'd graduated high school two years prior and he'd picked up a job as a delivery driver of sorts. He didn't seem to like it terribly.

The two fell into their usual training, a simple one on one. Ro lowered herself in a fighting stance. Feet at shoulder width, she took a deep breath and sent the first punch towards Jae. He always let her initiate their fights or she was just too impatient to wait for him to do so himself. Either way, he deflected her jab with ease.

He countered with a left hook of his own, right into her guard. The exchange was slow even for a warm up.

"You're going easy on me." Ro stated retaliating with a much stronger swipe.

Jae's eyes shined from behind his right glove. Wordlessly, he sped up his hits, following each one with another, forcing Ro into an uncharacteristic defensive stance. She gritted her teeth blinking away the sweat dripping down her forehead into her eyes.

The sound of the fight grew louder echoing in the empty room. Her muscles tense, she felt the familiar blood rush and pounding in her temples. This was the best way to clear her head and recenter herself, head and body too preoccupied with the fight at hand to leave room for anything else.

Her arms on fire, she attempted a series of jabs to regain the upper hand. Her gloves met skin a few times before Jae took his distance. They both panted. Ro could feel her ponytail coming undone, but there was nothing she could do to fix it at the moment.

"I'd have you down on the mat in seconds if I could use my legs. You wouldn't stand a chance in an MMA fight." She said stretching her arms a bit before bringing them back in front of her face.

"Boxing is not just about your punches, you can use your feet to move around." He said proving his point by sliding to her right, ducking under her guard, hitting her side. He lowered his arms when she let out a loud hiss of pain. She clutched the spot below her rib cage where he'd landed his blow.

"Yeah, I got it all right." Ro moaned with a hint of humor peering up at Jae with a hint of a smile. "When I said don't hold back, I didn't mean go for a knockout."

Jae didn't mirror her light-hearted tone, immediately apologizing. "Sorry Ro, I have a lot on my mind tonight. You heard about Delmar's? When I saw what happened, how the place I drive past almost every day just blew up... I couldn't shake it off. That's why I'm in tonight."

Watching him drop on the bench against the wall, Ro felt her heart drop in time with him. The words, reminding her of the incident, were a worst blow than the one Jae had dealt her. She'd almost forgotten the situation was bigger than Parker and herself.

The guilt rolled off her in a wave.

One by one, the lights overhead flickered from where she was standing down to the other side of the room. Ro ducked her head and clenched her jaw. A year of working on her powers and still she felt as out of control as the first time she'd found out about them.

At the time, a few weeks after her infiltration of the Avengers Tower to be precise, she'd been mad at her mom for leaving in the middle of what was supposed to be a two-week stay at home. Slamming the door to her room, she felt tears of frustration well in her eyes. Her hands shook and she paced what little floor space was available in her bedroom in an attempt to calm down.

It started with her desk lamp, flickering on and off rapidly. She stopped pacing and the lamp turned off. Ro took a deep breath to calm herself only to exhale with a groan of exasperation. Why couldn't things just be normal for once in her damn—

Her alarm clock started blasting the radio, her monitors lit up brighter than she'd ever seen them, her desk lamp, the ceiling fan, her phone, every electronic device in the room went haywire. Ro opened her mouth as to scream, but a voice from outside the room beat her to it.

"Rosabella Anderson! Being angry does NOT give you the right to make this much of a racket."

When her mom opened the door to her room, everything went quiet. Ro would have thought it a dream had her mom not been looking at her with such a hard gaze. "This is not funny. I expect more of you."

Once alone again, Ro doubled checked that her door was closed and unplugged her alarm clock. It would spend several months like this while she tested the extent of her powers on diverse appliances.

The teen worked on her own trying to figure out the limits of her control over technology until she figured she could control anything that was powered by some form of electricity. The coffee machine wasn't that exciting of a discovery, although it was significantly more useful in her eyes than the toaster. Her most exciting prospect was hacking, if she'd already been good before whatever the hell had happened at the Avengers Tower now she was able to build her own A.I. She was a technopath, technology was at her fingertips in the most spectacular way.

But no matter how much training she underwent, there remained the occasional slip. Her emotions, good or bad, would get the best of her powers. Lights always seemed so easily influenced by her moods it was quite cinematic, but inconvenient, mostly inconvenient.

"Ro? Hello? Earth to Ro!" Jae snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. While she'd zoned out, he had been packing his things. "You're really off of your game tonight. It's just some flickering lights, no need to be spooked."

"Right, sorry. I think the exhaustion is settling in."

"I could use some sleep too." He sighed. Ro noticed for the first time the heaviness in his features, something that ran even deeper than physical bags under his eyes.

Jae waited for her, so they could walk out together. Once out on the street, the night was cool against Ro's still sweaty body. It sent a shiver down her back. Walking to Jae's car, he offered her s lift like he normally would at that hour and she declined out of habit. Jae lingered by his door longer than usual.

 "So I was thinking and... we only ever see each other by coincidence. It doesn't happen often so if you'd like to plan sessions instead it'd be nice. It would be better training than only using punching bags"

"You want to schedule me as your punching bag?" was the only answer Ro could come up with. It was weird for someone to want to initiate a friendship with her. Alarms were going off in her mind. Was she reading too much into it? Was it that suspicious for someone to want to get to know her without ulterior motives?

"We'd meet here like normal, but it would be planned. Nothing more to it if you don't want to." He explained waddling from one foot to the other. He was clearly keeping his distance, maybe expecting her to lash out. Ro didn't know much Jae too well, not enough to say yes without thinking twice about it. Still, she knew him well enough that deep down she was open to the idea of getting to know him better.

"I'll tell you what, give me your number and I'll text you." She said handing him her phone. She'd decide later                        

* * *

Dragging her feet to the kitchen, Ro stretched her arms to get rid of any soreness from the night before. Entering the kitchen she greeted her father and took a deep breath of the wonderful smell of coffee that hung in the room.

"Went to the gym last night?" Her dad asked knowingly.

Ro gave a hum of agreement, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Her dad knew better than to expect a full string of words out of her before her first sip of the day.

"You used the fire escape again." This time it wasn't softened by a question. Her dad looked out the kitchen window to the old metal stairs. "That thing's not safe. Please use the door like everyone else."

"Sneaking out satisfies my need for teenage rebellion. It's not truly sneaking out if I use the front door." She grinned from behind her mug.

"It's not sneaking out if I know you're doing it." He pointed out smugly. "So what was it that got you wanting to punch someone in the face?"

She opened the fridge and looked intently into it. She pushed the jar of mayo out of the way to get a better look at her breakfast options. The thought crossed her mind that she could probably just shove her entire head in the fridge to avoid answering that question. She settled on an old apple. Perfect, she thought, taking a huge bite out of it. Chewing slowly she sat in front of her dad. 

"Liz's party." She spat out with her mouthful. Her dad looked unimpressed with her choice of distraction.

"What about it?"

Taking a few seconds to swallow her bite this time around Ro explained. "It's tonight. Don't tell me you forgot. I'm going straight to her place after school so we can get the place ready."

Leo raised his eyes from the journal he had in hand. "Tell me again, will her parents be present at the party?" He said mocking a serious parent voice.

"Haha. Real funny, dad. You know I don't need parental supervision."

"I strongly disagree young lady." He went on with a tone that toed genuine offense.

Taking her phone out, Ro looked at the time. If she wanted to check out Delmar's on her way to school she had to leave now. "Speaking of the party, I told Liz I'd meet her early before class so we could go over some last minute things"

"Isn't that why you're going to her place after school?"

Ro picked up her backpack sheepishly. She knew her dad was trying to get every minute with her that he could. I promised her, dad. You know how Liz can be. She wants tonight to be perfect." The lie rolled off her tongue too easily for her liking.

It was enough to get her dad to drop the subject. Yet, leaving the room she added before she could catch herself, "This is normal teen stuff. Normal is good."

Her hand opening the front door, she couldn't shake the feeling in the back of her mouth that her lies left her with. She didn't have time to think twice about how much she wished for the story she'd constructed to be the true morning that was waiting ahead of her. She cleared her throat and killing the feeling in its rise. She had things to do.

* * *

When the bodega came into view Ro's steps faltered. The facade had been annihilated and the inside was one big charred hole. Damage Control employees were charging into a truck some debris from the incident. It had to have been caused by some type of enhanced or even alien tech like she'd suspected if they were taking it with them.

Something didn't add up though. How did a group of seemingly regular ATM robbers get their hands on those types of arms? If tech strong enough to hit Delmar's across the street was being sold to simple robbers, what else was circulating in Queens?

Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. It could have been an isolated incident, but damage control weren't ones to investigate too much. They were more of a glorified cleaning crew. Too often "controlling" what had caused the damage without solving much, leaving the locals like Mr. Delmar to get back on their feet on their own.

Spider-Man, on the other hand. The chances that he wouldn't feel the need to investigate after his favorite sandwich shop had been victim to those arms were slim. Ro had to make peace with the fact that she'd have to get involved sooner or later.

She rolled her eyes at the two boys coming her way on the sidewalk. Was she certain that Peter's spidey-sense didn't summon him every time someone thought of him?

Ned smiled widely when his gaze caught hers. She met them halfway. This was her chance to subtly usurp some more information from Peter.

"What's with you? Too cool for backpacks now?" She greeted Parker with a grin. She almost let a laugh past her lips at seeing him holding all of his books in his arms. He'd lost another backpack.

Peter struggled to come up with a proper excuse. She saved him the lie by commenting on the carnage on the street corner. "They put up quite a fight."

"Yeah!" Ned said with surprising enthusiasm. "Did you see the video of Spider-Man? It's already on Youtube and he looks so cool like Wha Bam!" He gestured wildly with his arms. He turned over to Peter who shifted uncomfortably glancing back and forth between her and Ned with a slight panic.

"Looked like an antigravity gun or something. Whatever it was it, I was more concerned with Mr. Delmar." Ro tried to help steer the conversation back to a safer angle.

Collectively glancing one last time at the scene, they turned to walk to school. "It wasn't his fault." Peter blurted out.

Ned and Ro turn to him confused. Ned voiced what was on both of their minds. "Mr. Delmar's?"

"No. Spider-man's. He tried to help and it didn't go as he planned. I know that you're all about holding supers accountable," he said looking at Ro. "But it wasn't-"

"I never said it was." Ro cut him off. "Don't put words in my mouth, Parker."

Staring down the street in front of them, she could see Ned fidgeting out of the corner of her eye. He stood in the silence between the two.

"So... how's school?" he asked Ro to fill the void.

Ro let out a mix between a scoff and a laugh, "I wouldn't survive senior year without Liz."

She kicked herself internally, immediately wanting to take it back. Bringing up Liz was a horrible trade-off from the previous conversation. She'd rather debate about Spider-Man, or even the Sokovia accords, a hundred times over than stand there listening to Peter crushing on her best friend.

"Have you thought about your college pick yet?" Peter questioned looking at his feet. 

Ro felt a strange warmth traveled up her neck. She realized how nice it was that he hadn't asked about Liz, but her instead. It took her a second to gather a response that was actually hers.

"I've thought about MIT. I'm mostly looking into Computer Science and Engineering programs."

"I bet it won't be hard for you at all." Ned's eyes lit up again. He'd always been intrigued by any tech advice Ro was willing to share.

"You've got no idea" She mused a smile tugging at her lips.

* * *

 Ro glared at the rolled out TV at the front of the class. She had to keep herself in check so has to not make it explode.

Captain Steve Rogers was speaking the same lines he always did before their standardized “fitness challenge”.  Everyone in the room already had the whole thing memorized by now. With perhaps the exception of Coach Wilson who stood on the wrong side of the screen and failed to speak during the designed pauses in the Captain's script.

Whoever had thought to get Captain America to make a bunch of educational tapes in his ridiculously bright outfit was mistaken when anticipating the teens' reaction to them. Cap, at least on that screen, was in the same boat as the beep test. The Captain America tapes were quoted and memed to death by any and every student who'd been subject to them.

When Coach made the off-hand comment that he was pretty sure Cap was a criminal not one student in the room batted an eye. Some had divorced the real Captain America and the scripted version stuck in his old colorful suit in their mind. But mostly, Cap had lost his some credibility as a hero long before the accords. The internet just had that sort of power over people, even superheroes. No one was too bothered by his rise unto the most wanted lists.

Rosabella, however, was in a separate category. If she saw him walk in the room she wouldn't fawn over him or reference a meme to see if he got it. After the debacle that was the Accords, Ro had imagined plenty of times what she'd do if she met him. She had a suspicion that all the speech she had prepared would fly out the window so her fist could take flight towards his face. Maybe she didn't have as much of high ground over the Avengers as she'd thought. Maybe the tapes were getting on her last nerve. 

* * *

Ro wasn't one to sit out during P.E., but her workout with Jae still fresh in her side she felt justified in hang out on the bleachers with Liz and a couple of their classmates.

"Your turn Ro. Fuck, marry, kill with Thor, Captain American, and Hawkeye."

"Considering the last two are wanted crim-"

"Here we go again." Betty mumbled still a hint of bitterness in her voice from Ro's refusal to work on her new news segment.

"I'm just saying." Ro protested weakly, her words dying on her lips. They were right. She did speak of this too much for someone hiding a secret. Hiding in plain sight was a strategy, but probably not the smartest one.

"The Sokovia accords, bunch of impulsive idiots, blah blah blah.." Jason said.

"You'd think she wrote them herself." finished Seymour for him.

Ro rolled her eyes. "Fuck AND marry Thor." She spoke over them. "You know, cause he wasn't part of the accords." She stressed the last part just to antagonize them.

The game went on until Seymour asked about Spider-Man.

"It's just Spider-man" Ro stifled a laugh at Betty's deadpanned answer.

"Have you guys seen the big security cam on Youtube? He fought off four guys." Liz said.

"Oh my god, she's crushing on Spider-Man"

"Kind of."

"Dating a superhero is such a bad idea though. Always missing dates because he's out saving the day. Not to mention your chances of being kidnapped skyrocket. The whole breaking up with you to keep you safe? No thanks, I'm good."

"You have something against Spider-Man too." Jason rolled his eyes.

"I don't hate every super." Ro said not caring to suppress the irritation in her defense. As much as she was aware of her mention of heroes for the sake of concealing her own identity, she knew the others had different reasons to pick up on it. These were the kind of comebacks that put her on the defensive and made her feel unwelcomed in Liz's larger friend group. She sensed that the others only saw her as this annoyingly opinionated girl.

"I'm just critical of the dumb ones involved in infighting"

"Well, Spider-Man's our neighborhood guy so no chance of him being involved in the Avengers' business." Seymour reasoned.

"Right." she agreed a tad too quickly. Fortunately, the others ignored her already moving on to Spidey's physical appearance.

"He's probably like thirty." Betty shook her head.

"You don't even know what he looks like. He could be severely burned." Seymour teased.

 "I wouldn't care, I'd love him for who he is on the inside." Liz stood her ground.

Ro knew her friend truly had it bad for Spider-Man, which often lead to awful one-sided conversations where Ro would have to bite her tongue to keep herself from appearing too versed on the subject of the arachnid. It drained her to put so much effort in keeping suspicions off of-

"PETER KNOWS SPIDER-MAN."

Fuck.


End file.
